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The Hawaiʻi Bicycling League celebrated its 50th anniversary with Sunday’s Honolulu Century Ride — a 100-mile journey from Waikīkī to Kaʻaʻawa and back.
Photo Essay: A Honolulu Bike Ride Like No Other
The Hawaiʻi Bicycling League celebrated its 50th anniversary with Sunday’s Honolulu Century Ride — a 100-mile journey from Waikīkī to Kaʻaʻawa and back.
Riding 100 miles on a human-powered bicycle is hard.
Organizing a 100-mile bike ride is even harder.
The Hawaiʻi Bicycling League relies on more than 300 volunteers, along with longtime partners, to pull together its annual Honolulu Century ride, executive director Travis Counsell said.
Riders stop to photograph the sunrise after climbing up to Diamond Head Road Vista Point. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
In bicycling lingo, a century is a 100-mile bike ride. A metric century is 100 kilometers, or 64 miles. Hawaiʻi Bicycling League also puts on the annual Haleʻiwa Metric Century in late April.
While the 100-mile ride is the namesake event, riders can choose to go various distances — including 75, 50, and 25 miles. After these riders leave Kapiʻolani Regional Park, the Aloha Fun Ride starts for 5-mile or 8-mile rides.
The sun continues to rise for cyclists, as does the temperature. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)Road users on foot and human-powered wheels travel in their appropriate directions. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
More than 1,200 people participated in the Aloha Fun Ride and Honolulu Century Ride on Sunday, including 293 riders from Japan and 210 from other states in the U.S.
“We had a 3-year-old join the Aloha Fun Ride and an 83-year-old ride in the Honolulu Century Ride,” Counsell said.
The suffering begins early with a climb up Kalanianaʻole Highway toward Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve parking lot. The sound of bicycle chains trying to find an easier gear and heavy breathing broke the silence along this stretch. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Ivan Hernandez of Trujillo, Puerto Rico, rides toward Koko Head. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Cyclists climb toward the sun on Kalanianaʻole Highway along a carless Ka‘iwi Coast Sunday. This two-mile stretch of the Ka‘iwi Coast was closed to motor vehicles, offering cyclists a rare opportunity to ride on a closed roadway of the scenic shoreline. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
This was the first year the Ka‘iwi Coastline was closed for cyclists to have full use of the road, Counsell said.
Ivan Hernandez of Trujillo, Puerto Rico, takes in the scenery of the Ka‘iwi Coast on Kalanianaʻole Highway. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Riders hang their bikes at an aid station at Kailua Intermediate School. At these volunteer-staffed rest stops, cyclists refill water and sports drink, eat fruit and sweet and salty foods. It’s also a place to use a restroom and have a bicycle mechanic make minor repairs. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Riders must hydrate and fuel their bodies for endurance rides, especially in warm temperatures. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Miranda Nepip of Venice, Florida, enjoys being shielded from the wind at the tail end of a long pace line of cyclists. Riding in groups, or pelotons, allows riders to expend 20%-50% less energy than those “pulling” the group at the front. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)Dany Romero of Wahiawā smiles as two supporters cheer for riders with a microphone, loudspeaker and cowbell. The duo lifted cyclists’ spirits at multiple spots along the route. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)Cyclists wait at a red traffic light in Kailua. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)Waves crash into the shoreline as Dany Romero of Wahiawā nears the 100-mile turnaround aid station on Kamehameha Highway Sunday in Kaʻaʻawa. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Dany Romero casts a long shadow on Kamehameha Highway. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
Mike Grieco of Wahiawā signals to riders behind him about a road hazard. Unlike motor vehicles, bicyclists are responsible for the safety of riders behind them since they’re not equipped with turn indicators and brake lights. Cracks in the road surface parallel to a bicycle’s tires could cause a cyclist to crash and injure themselves and others. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
In an effort to keep cyclists cool, makeshift fan misters were placed at the 100-mile turnaround aid station at Swanzy Beach Park in Kaʻaʻawa. Many enjoyed the respite from the heat. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)Mokoli‘i rises from the water as 100-mile riders return to the start along Kamehameha Highway. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
The event is the cycling league’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and supports youth education programs and advocacy efforts to create safe streets for all, Counsell said. The organization’s mission is to “enable more people to ride bicycles for health, recreation, and transportation through advocacy, education and events.”
Andy Garcia reaches deep for more energy. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025)
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